Eat First

Staycations 2010: Red and White Cafe, DeRuyter

What do you mean you've never been to DeRuyter and you have no reason to go there? There's a lovely little lake nearby, and the Tioughnioga River runs through town. There's a furniture store with new and previously used pieces and an old-fashioned hardware store, the kind that stocks everything from plumbing supplies to pure maple syrup. Best of all, to our way of thinking, there's the Red and White Cafe.

The restaurant is in a completely charming, unique and nostalgic setting: the former Red and White grocery store, smack dab in the center of town.

Signage in the dining room.

The store enjoyed a 40-year run, from the 1940s to the 1980s, and is enjoying new life as a bakery, restaurant and community meeting place, courtesy of owners Christine and Jeffrey Glave.

The menu is extensive, offering everything from hot dogs to hotcakes. Where to begin? That's easy. Start with a cup of coffee. Definitely not your average cup of diner dishwater coffee. The Red and White uses coffee from Coffee Mania in Homer, and also serves all your must-have coffee drinks: espresso, cappuccino, lattes, macchiatos, etc. In the mood for ice cream? That's premium, too, from Kimberly's Ice Cream, in Manlius.

Breakfast is served all day, and lunch includes homemade soups, sandwiches, salads, burgers and daily specials. Have another coffee, stay as long as you like and even check your e-mail. Your map or GPS might lead you to think you're in the middle of nowhere, and you essentially are, but they've got WiFi.
Did I mention the baked goods made on the premises? The baking elves must stay late or arrive well before the sun is up, because you'll find an amazing assortment of things made with butter, flour and sugar: brownies, muffins, scones, biscotti, cakes, pies, cookies. Plus at least six kinds of homemade bread.
My French toast ($5.95) was made with thick slices of house-made cinnamon raisin bread and served with butter, real-deal maple syrup and a hand-formed sausage patty.

The bakery and store section of the Red and White Cafe has penny candy, jewelry from local artisans and other merchandise, like goat's milk soaps, lotions and salves from Frosty Morning Farm, in Truxton.

 
The Red and White Cafe is at 1692 Albany St., DeRuyter, between Cazenovia and Cortland and not far from New Woodstock. It's open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Check the Web site and calendar for special events, like live music. An easy way to get there: Pick up Route 13 south in Cazenovia and travel about 15 miles to DeRuyter. And write down this phone number just in case: 315-852-2016.‎

 

Blue Danube: C'est (or Say) Cheese in Skaneateles

  I know my travels won't be taking me to Spain any time soon. So I hope they at least take me to Skaneateles. I've eaten the last delicious morsel of Valdeon blue cheese, imported from Spain, that I picked up last month at Blue Danube Gourmet to Go.

Erica Derrick, who owns and operates the cheese shop/gourmet food store with her partner, Lorand Ernyey, introduced me to Valdeon (vahl-day-own) when I asked her to recommend a blue cheese.

Now I'm addicted and suffering withdrawal. It's sharp, but not overly strong, with beautiful blue veins, more like pockmarks, running through it. I love it in salads, but you could slice it thin and eat it on its own. It's that good.

Erica and Lorand opened Blue Danube in the fall. She lived and worked in New York City for many years and missed her neighborhood cheese shop. He was born in Hungary, which might explain the big bags of paprika the shop carries.

Blue Danube is on Jordan Street, in the heart of the village. It's a sweet little store full of great stuff: a refrigerator case stocked with big wheels of cheeses from around the world, like manchego from Spain and aged gouda from Holland; salami and other meats; breads baked at Mirbeau Inn and Spa, a couple miles down the road; baked goods and baking mixes from Organically Hip; spices; coffee, tea and related products; honey, jams, chutneys, spreads and sauces; authentic (and beautiful) Bolga baskets from Ghana, purchased directly from the artists and sold by Bluetree Studios of Syracuse.

Bolga baskets, for your marketing -- and picnic -- needs.

They have dynamite New York cheesecake (or so I'm told!) and make their own cream cheese spreads to enhance your enjoyment of bagels. Their cheeses are served on a cheese plate appetizer at the nearby Sherwood Inn. And they plan to hold more events at the shop in the future, like cheese tastings and wine pairings.
Drunken Goat, on the right, from Spain, is a cheese soaked in red wine, hence its name.

Just add coffee.

Meanwhile, imagine the possibilities when it's summer in Central New York:

You and your "other.'' A picnic basket. A bottle of wine. A stop at Blue Danube. Provisions! A stroll to the lake. A blanket on the lawn. A lazy summer afternoon.

It's 20-something degrees and a heap of heavy, wet snow is falling. A girl can dream, right? Blue Danube is at 33 Jordan St., in Skaneateles. Call 315-685-3774.

 

Gettin' jiggle with it!

Maybe it's because it comes in colors that don't exist in nature, or because I heard (and believed) as a kid that gelatin comes from horse hooves.

Whatever the reason, I have never much liked Jell-O, and especially Jell-O molds --colored gelatin rings and jiggly orbs floating with fruit and sometimes vegetables and nuts, which tend to make a special appearance on the Thanksgiving table. Call me contradictory, but for years I have wanted to visit the Jell-O Gallery in LeRoy, Genesee County, birthplace in 1897 of "America's favorite dessert.'' And thanks to my sisters, who went out of their way to get me there as part of a surprise birthday outing last month, the Jell-O Gallery is now officially crossed off my local food-related "bucket list.'' If If you like Jell-O -- or even if you don't like Jell-O but appreciate small towns and the quirky little museums often found in them -- there is no reason not to visit the Jell-O Gallery.

Just as there's always room for Jell-O, there's always time for an interesting diversion. If you're cruising down the Thruway on auto pilot to Rochester or Buffalo, poke 23 E. Main St., LeRoy, into your navigation device and give yourself an hour to stroll around the place and take in its charms.

You'll find product and promotional displays and hear entertainers like Jack Benny and Lucille Ball plug Jell-O.

 

An entire section of the gallery is dedicated to longtime Jell-O pitchperson Bill Cosby.

Long before America's current coffee craze, there was coffee-flavored Jell-O. The first flavors were orange, lemon, strawberry and raspberry. The ever-popular lime flavor debuted in 1930.

Things that float well in Jell-O: fresh fruits, like apples, bananas, orange and grapefruit sections, sliced peaches and pears, strawberries and fruit packed in light syrup. And marshmallows, of course.

Make sure to visit the gift shop, which has Jell-O pens, pencils, cookbooklets, clothing and more. And don't forget to have someone snap a souvenir photo for you.

Make-Your-Own Jell-O 1-2-3

Remember Jell-O 1-2-3? Abra-cadabra: Mix the package of Jell-O and watch it separate into three layers as it chills in the fridge! It was introduced in 1969, disappeared from store shelves in the 1980s, reappeared in the 1990s and disappeared again. You can make your own version of Jell-O 1-2-3 at home, thanks to this recipe from the Jell-O Gallery. You will need: 3/4 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cold water plus enough ice cubes added to equal 1 1/4 cups

1/2 cup whipped cream 1 3-ounce package Jell-O, any flavor In a blender, mix together the gelatin and boiling water. Add the ice/water mixture and mix until the ice cubes are melted. Mix in the whipped cream for 30 seconds. Pour into four dessert glasses. Refrigerate 30 minutes or more and serve. The Jell-O Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 31. From Jan. 2 to March 31, the museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Admission is $4 for adults. For more information, call (585) 768-7433.

Staycations 2009: Lombardi's in Fairport

I could have gone to Wegmans for a bottle of balsamic vinegar. Or to Williams-Sonoma, Marshalls, TJMaxx, P&C, Lombardi's Fruits and Imports or any number of places right here in Syracuse. But no. I HAD to go to the Lombardi's store in Fairport, near Rochester, for a bottle of balsamic vinegar. I just HAD to.

 

The food demons made me do it. Voices told me to jump in the car on a summer Friday and check out the Lombardi's store in the community called the "Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal" and named one of Money magazine's "Best Places to Live" in 2005. They also told me to buy some bread, salami and cheese there and enjoy a little picnic along the canal before heading home.

Food lovers in Syracuse know that Lombardi's is a mecca for oils, vinegars, pasta, sauces, herbs, spices, espresso and other ingredients essential to cooking and eating Italian-style. The store, a landmark at the corner of Lodi and Butternut streets on the North Side, has been there for more than 30 years. One of my favorite things to do is wander the aisles and breathe in the store's perfume: It smells all at once of meat, cheese and fruit.

The man behind the meat counter, usually Dominick Lombardi, is happy to take the time to discuss the fine points of different salamis and prosciuttos and the difference between fresh mozzarella and melting mozzarella for pizza.

The Fairport store is a little less Old World deli and market and a little more upscale and glossy. Bread is made on the premises. And in addition to a fine selection of food items imported from Italy, it also has cookware (think Le Creuset, Chantal and others) and an entire room devoted to pottery and tableware. Here's a look at what you'll find there:

Shelves full of balsamic vinegars.

Meats...

and cheeses galore.

Olives in abundance to serve on the side.

 

Everything you need to serve Italian food in style -- and then some.

Olive oils and dipping oils wearing the Lombardi's label.

Pastas of every persuasion...

Sauces to serve with them...

And canned tomatoes and other ingredients to make your own.

Need an espresso set? You've come to the right place.

I stuck to my budget of $20 and came away with a bag holding a bottle each of balsamic and sherry vinegar; a container of multi-color couscous; and a loaf of ciabatta bread and some picnic provisions. It was a wonderful outing.

Still, there's no place like home. Lombardi's at Butternut and Lodi is my first love, and if you haven't been there lately, please do. We're blessed to have it in easy reach.

 

Lombardi's in Fairport is at 124 N. Main St. (585-388-1330). Lombardi's in Syracuse is at 534 Butternut St. (315-472-5900). Note: In a future post, Eat First will visit Vince's Gourmet Imports, in North Syracuse, owned by Vincent Lombardi and his son-in-law, Sam Mondello.